"He's burning EVERYTHING down!" - Kendrick Perkins on Trae Young 'taking a bow' in New York, Philadelphia, and Cleveland
Kendrick Perkins has been a big fan of Trae Young and his game since his arrival in the league. The one-time NBA champion showed his appreciation for the Atlanta Hawks guard after he yet again put the team on his shoulders to lead them into the playoffs.
Trae Young has a reputation for being the villain in the NBA. Last season, he single-handedly knocked the New York Knicks out of the playoffs and this time he put on a stunning showing in the second half to end the fairytale run of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the play-in tournament.
Perkins took to Twitter to heap praise on the two-time All-Star's ability. Trae dominated in some of the most hostile environments like New York, Philadelphia and Cleveland. His message to Young read:
"Trae has taken a bow in New York, Philly and now Cleveland!!! He’s burning EVERYTHING down. Carry the hell on… @TheTraeYoung"
Trae has taken a bow in New York, Philly and now Cleveland!!! He’s burning EVERYTHING down. Carry the hell on… @TheTraeYoung twitter.com/kendrickperkin…
Perkins also added an old video to the tweet, where he stated that Young was one of the most disrespectful stars in the league while on the First Take show. Despite his huge admiration for Young, Big Perk had the Cleveland Cavaliers as his pick to win the play-in game.
Post the Hawks' win, Perkins sent out a tweet apologizing to Young for the disrespect he showed towards him. It read:
"Well I guess it’s reason why I love @TheTraeYoung my apologies for the disrespect! God Bless America."
Well I guess it’s reason why I love @TheTraeYoung my apologies for the disrespect! God Bless America. @OldTakesExposed 🥴 twitter.com/kendrickperkin…
This is the second consecutive season the Hawks will be playing in the playoffs and Trae Young has played a big part in helping the team reach there. He had a historic campaign where he ended with the most points and assists, becoming the first player since Tiny Archbald to achieve the feat.
The Hawks will be up against the Miami Heat in the first round. This is going to be a tough matchup for them as the Heat have a lot of depth on their roster. However, over the last two seasons, the Hawks have overcome a lot of odds and will definitely come into the series trying to pull out of the upset.
WE MOVE
#BelieveAtlanta https://t.co/xHqOXhEp8S
Trae Young scores 38 to lead the Hawks to a 107-101 play-in game win over the Cavs
The play-in game between the Hawks and the Cavs was a matchup between two of the best young guards in the league. The game had high stakes as the winner would move into the playoffs, while the other team would have to face the disappointment of going home despite being so close.
Welcome to the Trae-in https://t.co/NCx6jjl4eM
Cleveland started the game in style as they racked up 36 first-quarter points. They also did well to contain the Hawks to 25 points. Lauri Markkanen and Darius Garland were proving to be too good as they fired on all cylinders to help the Cavs get to a big lead.
Trae Young did not have a good half and scored only six points, which led to the Hawks' struggles. The Cavs had a 10-point lead going into halftime and were looking good enough to run away with a win.
However, the Hawks were not going to give up that easily and started to put on a fight in the second half. Trae Young slowly started to take over the game as he made some big shots to lead the comeback. The Hawks scored 33 points in the third quarter to reduce the deficit to three points going into the fourth.
"Believe!" https://t.co/Qw3whgthxT
From thereon, the Hawks kept firing and eventually took the lead in the game. The Cavs tried their level best but were unable to make buckets on the offensive end, which led to the loss. Young ended the game with 38 points, out of which 32 came in the second half. His staggering mid-range effort and 3-point buckets in the fourth proved to be key for the Hawks in their win on the night.